Here I am again with my “katamaran”, egging me on to not go out and apply for a postpaid plan through a Smart physical store (aside from the fact that there’s no Smart Center here in our town, ayoko lang talaga lumabas. Just because 😁). I have been looking for online telco stores accepting applications online. Having found that I can actually apply online, I eagerly contacted @SMARTCares via Twitter DM to ask how long it takes for the application to be processed. I was advised that it depends on credit evaluation of their validation officers based on the documents submitted. This, I find it fair enough as it would definitely be dependent on their assessment on the documents and info I’d provide. Then, I started gathering my documents. Here’s a timeline of the whole process:

I submitted my application for through Smart’s Online Store. (September 18, 2017, Monday, at around 11:38 AM). I opted for the Smart Postpaid Plan 399, with a Huawei Y7 as my phone. As soon as I hit the “Submit” button, I got a text message and an email saying that my application was submitted (This, I like!).

Later (afternoon) on that same day, someone from the validation team called to verify the info I sent and I was advised that my husband should also receive another call from one of their reps. And someone did, a few minutes after I got off the phone.

The following day (September 19, 2017 5:00PM), I received another call saying that I’m already pre-approved and that they needed a few more bits of info ie my office/company address (which is, basically, my home address as I work from home) for the application to be fully approved. I gave it to the lady I’ve spoken to and after a few minutes, I saw that the order status updated to “Approved”. Here’s how the order status looks like (such a cool feature from Smart):

The lady I talked to also made sure that I get all the necessary info I need. After the call, I received a SMS about the order status, as well as an email with the payment link so I can pay for the initial cash out (I used my credit card for this). Easy Peasy! All I have to do now is to wait for the phone to be delivered (in approximately 5-10 days, no delivery on weekends).

Contrary to most reviews I read about Smart Postpaid plan applications online, I’ve had a pretty good experience with it. I didn’t think it would take them only three (3) business days (I submitted my documents outright during online application submission). Yup! Three days. I was expecting that no one would call me within the week (I thought there were lots of applications, that their sales team has to go through. But, boy, this made my day :D. Now, it’s waiting game.

As for @SMARTCares on Twitter, they (whoever handles their social accounts) lived up to their tagline “Responsive 24/7”. I got all the answers I needed in a very timely manner (would be a bummer if they didn’t reply on time though). @SMARTCares raised the bar higher. Awesome!

Alright, I feel like my face is going to tear apart in two from yawning too much (so effin’ sleepy) so I’d say bye for now. I’ll update this post as soon as I receive my new phone and SIM. It might take a while (or not), depending on the courier service.

Update: Since the delivery was scheduled on Sept. 26, 2017, and I was not home at that time, I called W-Express (the courier) to arrange for a pick-up. I went to the branch where my package was dropped and claimed it there instead. The line was then activated the day after (Sept. 27, 2017).

Overall, the whole process (from application to activation) was good. At the moment, I’m testing it out (data, calls, etc.) and I’ll see if there’s anything that I might complain about in the future 😂 (you know this, I complain a lot!).

Disclaimer: I was not paid to conduct a review/promote Smart Communications’ products/services. The initial cash out is paid for by no-one but moi.